Respire, a new Global Research Unit on Respiratory Health at the University of Edinburgh, will be established with the funding from the National Institute for Health Research.

Staff at the new unit will work with groups in Bangladesh, India, Malaysia and Pakistan to identify key challenges in these areas since lung diseases account for one in five deaths in South Asia, and to ensure potential interventions are fit for purpose around the world.

They are also setting up training programmes for research teams in the four countries to enable them to conduct research into respiratory illnesses.

Respire co-director Professor Aziz Sheikh (pictured) said: "Respire will enable us to accelerate and extend our work with low and middle income country partners around the world to tackle major respiratory health challenges faced by the world's most deprived populations."